Lizzo has plans to fight back against her three former backup dancers — Crystal Williams, Arianna Davis, and Noelle Rodriguez — and their lawsuit against her.
The singer apparently intends to countersuit, TMZ reports, after new photos surfaced showing her accusers backstage at a topless cabaret show in Paris one month after the incident at Bananenbar in Amsterdam occurred.
Marty Singer, the “Special” singer’s attorney, told the outlet that the images show the women “happily carousing” and “gleefully reveling” at one of the after-party events. The events allegedly took place following a performance that they claim to have been pressured to attend.
The accusers’ legal team, led by Neama Rahmani and Ron Zambrano, have issued statements regarding the rumored countersuit and photos.
“Our clients aren’t afraid of Singer or his empty threats or his victim shaming,” Rahmani began. “I’ve handled thousands of cases, including prosecuting drug cartels so we have no plans to back down. Let’s see if Singer can actually try a case in a courtroom instead of the media.”
He continued, “We’ve addressed all these instances where the plaintiffs appear to be happy alongside Lizzo during their time working with her. Of course, they wanted to keep their jobs. They had bills to pay just like everyone else but they finally had enough of the abuse. We stand by every claim in the lawsuit and look forward to trial.”
Zambrano added that “more than a dozen” former employees have come forward “sharing similar stories of harassment and abuse.”
Rahmani also claimed that Lizzo used “intimate footage of her dancers without their approval” in her 2022 documentary, Love Lizzo. As noted by the Los Angeles Times, 14 dancers signed over clearance and received settlements totaling $109, 551 by Boardwalk Pictures, six months before this lawsuit.
He concluded, “Singer’s victim shaming doesn’t change any facts in the lawsuit. The plaintiffs merely wanted to keep their jobs until they finally had enough of the abuse.”
After galavanting in Tokyo and being spotted on Monday (Aug. 21), the Grammy and Emmy winner shared that she’s working on new music. Her attorney mentioned separately that he has more “substantial evidence” which “prove the glaring contradictions between what the plaintiffs claim in their bogus lawsuit and what is actually proven by the facts.”
Rodriguez, Williams, and Davis are suing Lizzo, her production company, and current dance captain, Shirlene Quigley, over allegations of false imprisonment, sexual harassment, religious harassment, disability discrimination, assault, workplace misconduct, and more. There’s no word on if this/when will be formally taken to trial.
